My Country, 'Tis of Tea — New Jersey

It's the home of both Princeton and the TV show "Jersey Shore," and its state bird is the American Goldfinch, but what about New Jersey and tea?

• Did you know there is a plant known as New Jersey Tea? It's actually Ceanothus americanus, a shrub that got its nickname during the American Revolution when its leaves were used as a substitute for imported tea. And despite the name, it grows in many places in the US (click here to read more).

• We all know about tea being thrown into the Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773, but I'll bet not many of us know about the great "tea  burning" that was held in Greenwich, New Jersey, on December 22, 1774! I came across some info about this 1950 book, now on my wish list, called "Tea Burning Town: The Story of Greenwich on the Cohansey in West New Jersey" by Joseph S. Sickler. When I searched online, I found an article at nj.com that told how, on that evening in 1774, a stolen shipment of tea was set ablaze in the town square! The article says, "To this day, Greenwich’s identity is built around scorched tea as a symbol of courage and independence. The town’s annual charity 5k run is called the Tea Burner Race. Its logo is a flaming crate." Click here to read more of this fascinating tale!

• "CAROLINA TEA ROOM. Helen and Jewel, Proprietors. 1734 Asbury Avenue, Neptune, N.J. Famous Throughout Jersey For Southern Home Cooking." This is one of the postcards from my collection of vintage tearoom postcards, and I still find it intriguing that "Southern Home Cooking" was being offered in this tearoom. I also find it interesting that the top photo above shows tall electric fans on both sides of the tea room. That's something I picture us needing here in the hot South but not necessarily in New Jersey!

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